Starting May 5, Kristen Reynolds will be the new president and CEO of Chicago, the city’s official destination marketing organization. She joined from Discover Long Island as president and CEO.
Compared to choosing Chicago, Long Island’s $6 million budget is found to be light, with $29 million in 2023.
The same goes for compensation: Lynn Osmond served as president and CEO of Chicago until January 2024 when he received a base salary of $536,165, while Reynolds’ compensation package at Discover Long Island is $225,471.
After Osmond accidentally left the position, he chose Chicago board member Rich Gamble as interim CEO. Gamble will continue to support Reynolds’ onboarding.
Chicago is home to McCormick Place, the largest conference facility in the United States, with 2.6 million square feet of exhibition space. The venue is also transitioning. In February, it was announced that the board of directors of the Metropolitan Pier and Expo Bureau (MPEA) decided to revoke management of McCormick Square.
From 1960 to 2011, McCormick Place was managed internally. In 2011, MPEA outsourced the management of the conference center to SMG, and later merged with the AEG facility to form ASM Global in February 2019.
In 2023, after the competitive bidding process, OVG was awarded a contract for site management and food service. Starting from July, OVG’s responsibilities will be limited to food services.
After Reynolds left on April 25, it was discovered that Long Island board chairman Mitch Pally will serve as interim CEO as the organization is looking for a new permanent leader.
